Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine

Prince Charles Alexander of Lorraine (12 December 1712-4 July 1780) was Governor of the Austrian Netherlands from 1744 to 1780, succeeding Friedrich August von Harrach-Rohrau and preceding Albert Casimir, Duke of Teschen; from 1761 to 1780 he was also Grand Master of the Teutonic Order, succeeding Clemens August of Bavaria and preceding Archduke Maximilian Francis of Austria. He was a military commander of the Holy Roman Empire during the War of the Austrian Succession and Seven Years' War.

Biography
Charles Alexander was born on 12 December 1712 in Luneville, Duchy of Lorraine, the son of Leopold, Duke of Lorraine and Elisabeth Charlotte d'Orleans, and in 1737 he entered the service of the Holy Roman Empire when his brother (the future Francis I of Austria) married Archduchess Maria Theresa. Prince Charles Alexander was one of the top Austrian commanders during the War of the Austrian Succession in the 1740s, being decisively defeated at the Battle of Hohenfriedburg in 1745 and the Battle of Rocoux in 1746. When he married Empress Maria Theresa's sister Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria, Charles Alexander became the double brother-in-law of the empress, and his popularity and lack of replacement led to him being appointed Governor of the Austrian Netherlands in 1744.

Despite having a poor military record, Prince Charles Alexander was once more given command of Austrian troops during the Seven Years' War of 1756-63. At the Siege of Prague in 1757, he inflicted heavy losses on Frederick the Great's Prussian army and won at Breslau, but his defeat at the Battle of Leuthen on 5 December 1757 led to a complete rout and his replacement by Leopold Joseph von Daun. Charles was popular as Governor of the Austrian Netherlands, a post which he held until his death in 1780; he was also the head of the Teutonic Order, a German knightly order, from 1761 until his death.